Beth Marchant
“When I started treatment, I was the youngest person in the room… Now, that’s not really the case.”
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As a Bioinformatician (a researcher with an expertise in handling data), Maiti’s world revolves around data, and building the hidden story it uncovers. As an important part of Dr. Majumder’s team at Brandon University, he’s helping actualize a blood test that will detect breast cancer as early as Stage 0 – a groundbreaking and exciting discovery that showcases the impact of research.
“We now have beautiful technologies that capture and generate a lot of data,” he explains, “but that’s only part of it. You have to understand the data, analyze it properly and show that you can come up with a significant conclusion, and that the data is telling you this.” He does this by looking for signatures (patterns) in the data from real cells collected from patients, and painstakingly summarizing it.
His passion grew from early on in his education “I love human diseases,” he says with a laugh, referencing his study of interest while at Western University in Ontario. When he moved to Manitoba he jumped at the chance to work with breast cancer. “It’s data with real life, which makes it interesting. And breast cancer is all too common, I wanted to help”. He says, a reminder that 1 in 8 women in Canada will get breast cancer in their lives.
“My work is going to directly help people at the end of the day, it’s why I have to finish it, and have energy to do it.” He says, excitedly, speaking of the untraditional hours he keeps. “It’s 24/7. Because when you are doing something else, in the back of your mind, you’re still working.” His passion is palpable, a ray of light shining on this dark disease.
While their study has been published and the science has been proven, there is still important work to be done. Their next step is developing a blood test so specific and sensitive it can be put into market, but they need funding. “Everything’s so expensive to run the lab, to generate the data,” he says of the reality all researchers face. “We also need money to get samples, so we can confirm the data.” The team is hoping more women will donate blood and biopsy to their study. “This little bit more would help us a lot. They’re already getting a biopsy, we’re just asking for them to get a little bit more.” Maiti pleads, respectfully.
The work that Maiti and other researchers are proving that research is working. And it’s why generous donations are so invaluable in the quest to turn breast cancer into an illness instead of a life-threatening disease. So please, donate today.
“When I started treatment, I was the youngest person in the room… Now, that’s not really the case.”
The most important thing was living every day to the fullest – and the memories.
“Progress means every woman — in every Canadian community — is seen, heard, and cared for”.
“With more research and more awareness, we can ensure fewer women are blindsided the way I was.”
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Every breast cancer journey is unique, but together, these stories paint a powerful picture of progress. Through firsthand accounts from patients and survivors, we share stories that highlight the lived-experiences of breast cancer.
Progress happens when we invest in it. Canada is home to some of the world’s brightest minds in research. Together, we are advancing science, ensuring it leads to earlier detection, better treatments, and improved outcomes for patients across the country.
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